Berger, Johann Gottfried

1. Dates

Born: Halle, Germany, 11 Nov 1659

Died: Wittenbery, Germany, 2(?) Oct 1736

Dateinfo: Dates Certain

Lifespan: 77

2. Father

Occupation: Schoolmaster--Rector Of Prominent Gymnasium

Apparently prosperous.

3. Nationality

Birth: German

Career: German

Death: German

4. Education

Schooling: Jena, M.D.; Erfuhrt

Secondary: nothing specified -- father was rector of Gymnasium at Halle.

University: 1677 - 1680, studied math and medicine at Jena.

Brief period at Erfuhrt--he must have earned a B.A.

Returned to Jena and graduated MD in 1682.

1682? - 1684? Studienreise.

5. Religion

Affiliation: Lutheran 6. Discipline: Phl, Med.

Some medical treatises and practice.

No interest in botany, despite teaching it.

6. Scientific Disciplines

Primary: None

7. Means of Support

Primary: 7. Support: Academic, Patronage, Medical Practice

1684 - 1688 on staff of University of Leipzig.

1688 - death, taught at U of Wittenberg.

1688, appointed extraordinary professor of medicine. 1688-93, third ordinary professor of medicine (anatomy & botany).

1693-5, second ordinary professor of medicine (pathology).

1695 - death, first ordinary professor of medicine ("medicine and clinical subjects").

1690 (- 1695?), dean of faculty.

1693, rector (how long?).

1693-1709 (maybe before and after), Senior of medical faculty.

1706, vice-rector of university (not a sinecure) from 1730 Consilarius Aulae and senior of the entire university.

1697-1733, physician in ordinary (Archiater) to Friedrich August I.

1733-6, physician in ordinary (Archiater) to Friedrich August II.

8. Patronage

Type: Court

Friedrich August I, King of Poland and Elector of Saxony, "chancellor and patron ... virtual ruler of the University of Wittenberg", e.g.:

1671, created extraordinary professorship in medicine over wishes of medical faculty.

1685, turned down all of medical faculty's nominees (including Berger) for extraordinary professorship.

1688, appointed Berger to extraordinary professorship.

Also Friedrich August II, his successor.

Berger's brothers J. Wilhelm and J. Heinrich also professors at Wittenberg, both eventually held high positions in the university.

9. Technological Involvement

Type: Medical Practice

Archiater to Electors of Saxony.

it was customary for Wittenberg professors of medicine to practice medicine, but no other indication of medical practice.

10. Scientific Societies

Memberships: None

Sources

1. Edgar Ashworth Underwood, "Johann Gottfried von Berger (1659 - 1736) of Wittenberg and his Text-book of Physiology (1701), in Science, Medicine and History, 2, (Oxford, 1953), 141 - 172 - - Stacks R 111. S61

Not Available and Not Consulted

1. L.-M. Dupetit-Thouars, Biographie Universelle ancienne et moderne, 4, (Paris, 1843), 15 Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie, 2, -- reference room Bayle & Thillaye, Biographie medicale, 2, (Paris, 1855), 94 August Hirsch (ed.), Biographisches Lexikon hervorragenden Aerzte vor 1880, 2nd ed., 1, (Berlin-Vienna, 1929), 475 -- reference room Z 6658 . B 615 Christian Gottlieb Joecher, Allgemeines Gelehrten Lexicon, 1, reprint Hildesheim 1961 -- reference room Z 1010 . J64 C. L. F. Panckoucke, Biographie Medicale, (Paris 1820).
2. J. Ch. Poggendorff, Biographisch-literarisches Handwoerterbuch zu den exakten Wissenschaften, 1, (Leipzig, 1863).-- Z 7404 . P7 (Chem Lib) Zedler's Universal Lexicon, (Leipzig-Halle, 1742, reprint Graz, 1961). -- AE 27 . G87 (stacks)

Compiled by:

Richard S. Westfall

Department of History and Philosophy of Science

Indiana University

Note: the creators of the Galileo Project and this catalogue cannot answer email on geneological questions.